A's stumble to the quarter-season mark
Written by Heegos, Friday May 15 2009
In today's world of instant gratification, it's never too early to evaluate a team's season.
As the Oakland Athletics approach the quarter-season mark in last place, it's time to see what's going wrong (and point out the few things going right.)
What's Going Wrong:
Matt Holliday
Though not predicted to last in Oakland past this season, Holliday's addition to the lineup was supposed to boost the A's out of the offensive basement. Well, so far this season Holliday is hitting .240 with four homeruns and 23 RBIs, while the A's rank 25th in runs scored. Many predicted Holliday would slump after leaving Coors Field, but this is just ridiculous. There is still no doubt he will get a monster contract in the offseason, but it may be difficult for Oakland to get a good deal for Holliday before the trade deadline if he doesn't turn around his productivity.
Third Base
A's GM Billy Beane finally decided to get some insurance at third base for when Eric Chavez inevitably hit the DL. The only problem was Nomar Garciaparra was placed on the DL before Chavez. Bobby Crosby has been surprisingly not terrible at third. He does have three errors at third, but has 30 assists and is hitting .250. However, the signing of Garciaparra and shortstop Orlando Cabrera were supposed to keep Crosby off the field, not land him a regular job.
The Starting Rotation
Coming into the season the projected rotation of Justin Duchscherer, Dana Eveland, Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez and Sean Gallagher looked promising, but still sketchy. The rotation by Opening Day looked slightly different: Braden, 21-year olds Trevor Cahill, and Brett Anderson, Josh Outman and Eveland. Eveland was demoted to Triple-A after posting a 7.40 ERA over 24.1 innings in five starts. For those out there who are not mathematicians, that's less than five innings per start. Gallagher and long reliever Dan Giese have made spot starts in place of Anderson, who missed time with a popped blister, and Outman, who looked good out of the bullpen. Blister problems aside, Anderson continues to struggle with his 5.79 ERA. Braden is the only A's starter with a sub-3.00 ERA, at 2.79.
Injuries
Oakland has had a ridiculous amount of injuries of the past two seasons, and this year isn't looking much different. Duchscherer starting the season on the 60-day disabled list was just the first of many injuries affecting the team. Chavez only played eight games before hitting the DL. Garciaparra and second baseman Mark Ellis both suffered calf injuries during the same game (a 5-4 loss to Texas on April 28.) Closer Joey Devine was deemed out for the season before he even threw a pitch, and replacement Brad Ziegler is still trying to get back to 100 percent after missing time with the flu and an asthma attack. Setup man Santiago Casilla is set to return from the 15-day DL for the start of the Tigers series.
What's Going Right:
Kurt Suzuki
Suzuki has shown great improvement almost daily since he was first called up to the A's in 2007. This season is no different, as the Hawaii native is putting in quite a bid to be the A's all-star representative this season. Suzuki is leading Oakland with a .325 average and 12 doubles. He has two homers and 15 RBI as well. Suzuki has been hitting so well, that manager Bob Geren moved him to second in the lineup, after starting the season batting seventh. Suzuki has played in all but two games, catching 27 of the team's 31 games, while DHing in two others.
Ryan Sweeney
Young Sween is hitting a very average .248, but his defense has been nothing short of spectacular. Though many scouts said he'd be better suited for right field (mostly because of his arm strength), Sweeney has taken quite well to being an everyday center fielder. He is a regular on Baseball Tonight's Web Gems and even single-handedly saved one game for the A's. Though it's going to be hard to rip a Gold Glove from Torii Hunter or Ichiro, Sweeney should earn recognition as a great outfielder soon enough.
Andrew Bailey and Michael Wuertz
While the bullpen as a whole has been solid, Bailey and Wuertz have been outstanding. Both have stepped in during the ninth inning to close out games and both have continually come through in tough situations. Wuertz's 1.45 ERA is the lowest of any A's pitcher who had thrown more than 10 innings. Bailey's 26 strikeouts trails only Braden's 27 for the team lead, though Braden has pitched 20 more innings. With Casilla returning and Ziegler getting back to full strength, the A's bullpen should be a catalyst for the team the rest of the season.
Adam Kennedy
Billy Beane pulled another rabbit out of a hat when landing the 10-year veteran in a trade with Tampa Bay. Kennedy has done nothing but impress in his four games with Oakland thus far. He is hitting .286 with two walks since taking over for the platoon of Gregorio Petit, Eric Patterson and Bobby Crosby. Though he will relinquish the starting spot back to Mark Ellis once he returns from the DL, Kennedy will no doubt stay on the team's 25-man roster.
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2 comments
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CRABTREE!!!!!!!!
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Nicely done. It looks like the only one of my teams worth a damn in terms of improvement is the Niners. At least we can hope for that, eh?